I need some help shooting in Manual Mode with my 400D...?

Question

I have a Canon 400D and I am currently shooting in P Mode.
Although, I'd like to get more versatile with the camera and start shooting in Manual.
Basically, I just need to know what the settings need to be at when I'm shooting during the day when it's sunny, and during the evening.
ISO, Aperture, etc.

Thank you all in advance!!

=]

Answer 1

One of the best places to start is to look at the information on pictures that you have already taken. You can look at the extended information in most photo viewing & processing programs like Kodak Viewer, PhotoShop, etc. If you like the way pictures came out use the same settings in similar lighting situations, then adjust shutter speed OR aperture (F number) a little bit at a time to see what difference it makes. Don't try to change both settings at once until you understand how changing one setting affects you picture. In the days of film this was commonly done and is called exposure bracketing.

Most important is to take lots of pictures and examine them closely to see the difference that changing the settings can make. One of the great advantages of digital photography is that you can take lots of pics and quickly discard the ones that you don't like/want without incurring the cost & waste of printing them... Plus they record the settings for you so you can be sure exactly what they were!

Also, you need to make sure your monitor is calibrated to show the exposure and color accurately. Have a few pictures printed by a photo lab and then compare them to the image on your view screen. You might be amazed at the difference.

You could also look on the web or at a library for articles and books on photgraphy. Look for information on exposure settings.

Here is a good start...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_%28photography%29

ISO is the setting to adjust the cameras sensitivity to light use lower numbers in bright light, higher numbers in darker light. DON'T Change this at the same time you're adjusting the shutter speed or Aperture!

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 2

Take a look at the exposure level indicator in the LCD panel or in the viewfinder. It's your guide to get a correct exposure.

Use the control dial to change shutter speed. Press the Aperture/Exposure compensation button and rotate the dial to change the aperture.
See what happen to the exposure level indicator if you do either. Take a shoot to see what happen. It's pretty easy to figure out.

ISO is easy enough to figure out. Low ISO for bright condition, higher ISO for lower light condition but it may cause more noise.

Answer 3

Make it easy on yourself, and start with the "Sunny 16 Rule". Look at the ISO set in your camera, and set the shutter speed close to its reciprocal (1 over the ISO number). Then if it's sunny, set your aperture for f16. Partly cloudy, set at f11. Full shade, f8. Bright sun on sand or snow, f24.

Like I said, that's a good place to start. Remember when you change your aperture, you need to change your shutter speed to match. Make your aperture one stop smaller (larger f number) and you need to increase your shutter speed, and vice versa.

Answer 4

Glad to hear you're wanting to experiment and assume more control of your camera. Correct exposure is based on the relationship of available light, ISO, shutter speed and f-stop. When photographing with only natural light we have 3 variables we can control: ISO, shutter speed and f-stop*.

ISO determines the sensitivity of our sensor or film to light. The higher the number the more sensitive, the lower, the less. We do pay a price for higher ISO's though: loss of image quality.

The f-stop of our lens determines how much light is admitted. Wide-open, at f2 or f2.8, the lens admits all the light. At f16 it admits very little.

The shutter determines how long the light is allowed to expose the sensor or film. Shutter speed is expressed in fractions of a second up to actual seconds. At f2 this can be very brief. At f-16 it may approach a full second.

Lets look at some hypothetical examples shooting in brigh sunlight with ISO 200**:

At f2, 1/1000 sec.
At f2.8, 1/500 sec.
At f4, 1/250 sec.
At f5.6, 1/125 sec.
At f8, 1/60 sec.
At f11, 1/30 sec.
At f16, 1/15 sec.

Every time we "stop down" we lose light - and gain a slower shutter speed. At f2.8 we are admitting 1/2 as much light as at f2; at f4, 1/2 as much light as at f2.8, and so on. As less light is admitted our shutter speed gets longer (1/500 is twice as long as 1/1000.)

Your camera has a built-in light meter. Read the section of your Owner's Manual about shooting in Manual Mode and how to use the camera's light meter to determine exposure.

Back when I bought my first SLR, a Minolta SRT-100, in July of 1971, you "trapped" a pointer inside a little circle. Other cameras used a "bracket" with a + at the top and a - at the bottom. Centering the "pointer" indicated correct exposure.
Your camera may use something similar or it may use LED's of different colors. A "green" LED might show correct exposure. Again, check your Owner's Manual.

Once you understand how to determine correct exposure using your camera's built-in light meter you're ready to try it out.

For night photography I suggest you go to fotosharp.com and order their "Day & Night Exposure Guide". Also, for night photography you'll need a tripod and a mechanical cable release unless your camera allows you to set long shutter speeds such as 15 seconds or longer. Again, check your Owner's Manual.

Here is one example from the FotoSharp "Day & Night Exposure Guide", for a city skyline in the distance at ISO 200:

At f8, 15 seconds (yes, f-i-f-t-e-e-n seconds) so you can see why you'll need a tripod.***

* Its best to only change one variable at a time. Only when you run out of f-stops should you change shutter speed. When practicing (outdoors in bright sunlight), set your shutter speed to 1/250 and vary the f-stop until you have correct exposure, as indicated by your camera's meter.

**Again, theses examples are purely hypothetical for purposes of illustration only.

*** You should consider using a tripod at any shutter speed below the reciprocal of the lens length you're using. In other words, when shooting with a 200mm lens your shutter speed should be a minimum of 1/250 sec. Yes, I know about Image Stabilization or Anti-Shake but is it guaranteed to always work? If its important enough to photograph and requires a slower shutter speed, use a tripod.

I shoot in Aperture Preferred about 90% of the time. I like to keep the f-stop around f8 or f11 because I like a lot of Depth of Field and those f-stops are where lenses perform at their best. I just watch the shutter speed the camera selects to make sure I don't need my tripod.